As we all continue to to be in lockdown in our homes around the world, here’s a little spring cheer from London.

How are you all? Making the most of your gardens if you are lucky enough to have one? Many folk here in London and around the UK are finding different and imaginative ways of using, and having fun in, their garden! Here’s how UK Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, describes how he is using his:

“We’re fortunate to have a good-sized garden. It’s currently operating as holiday destination, exercise yard, future greengrocer’s and panic room!’

A panic room, surely not! Us Brits are very stoic!!! Before I turn the subject to matters of a more sexy nature, here’s some ideas of how to have family fun in the garden.

Whilst The High-Heeled Garden is a sophisticated woman of the world, it’s time now for us all to encourage our ‘inner fairy’ to come out to play! How about creating a fairy world in a pot.

Or a magical tree world. Who lays beyond the door…?

The High-Heeled Gardener is conjuring up the image of a handsome George Clooney look-a-like tree spirit popping out form the secret door behind the tree to give me a …

Quickly changing the subject, who likes fresh, peppery rocket? At this time of year you can grow rocket from seed in a matter of weeks!

Why not have a rocket race with your kids? Simply give everyone their own pot/container (with drainage holes in) scatter some rocket seeds, keep watering, and watch it grow! The winner is the entrant who’s rocket grows the quickest: After all, it is rocket race!

During these times of lockdown, we are all having to be creative with ‘objet trouve.’ The High-Heeled gardener is having great fun finding unusual items around the house to grow veg in. Check out my peas growing in a piece of old drain pipe/guttering. I say: Give peas a chance!

Now those of a more sensitive nature might want to skip reading the next idea of another use for your garden! But it is hot gossip…!

When I attended the fab CPH Garden Festival a couple of years ago, the partner of a well-known garden designer gave me a design tip of how they enjoy their garden. Their idea was to create a private area in the garden, in which to make sweet love! They simply sectioned off part of their garden and planted large grasses around it (HHG tip - Calamagrosis Karl Foerster would work!) The aim is to create a screen, so that no-one can see what is taking place in the middle.

Some might call it a ‘shagging section!’ ‘a bonking-backyard! but that’s far too rude for someone as sensitive as the High-Heeled Gardener!

Talking about long grass, on a more serious note, Dear Reader, with so much time on our hands at the moment to enjoy our gardens, I urge you all not to get over-busy mowing your lawns. With the Cover 19 pandemic at the forefront of everyone’s mind’s at the moment, it’s easy to forget other threatening issues such as the Climate and Ecological Emergency. The easiest way to increase biodiversity in our gardens is simply to change our lawn mowing regime, or even leave a patch of grass to grow long. Within a matter of weeks you will see the prettiest of little lawn wildflowers starting to grow, and you will be doing your bit to get with the ecological emergency.

In the UK, we are calling this hot new gardening fashion: Relaxed mowing.

Other lockdown crazes currently taking root here in London is the planting of street trees outside our homes. Londoners are busy digging up tree pits, removing rubble, sowing annual wildflower seeds, and watering. It’s a great idea for our daily exercise!

And here’s news of another fab new horticultural craze taking place in London. Many Londoners, who are choosing for environmental reasons to give up their car, are urging their local council to allow them to turn their un-used parking space, into a mini parklet: Putting the park back into parking!

At the end of each day, whatever the weather, I take a cocktail into the garden, sink into a chair, and indulge in a little day-dream. This week I’m enjoying a Rhubarb Margarita - get the recipe here

As it’s now the perfect time of the year to be planting, it’s a great opportunity to get creative and come up with some new planting schemes. What do you think, dear reader, of my current daydream of a gothic garden bed? All those sumptuous dark purples and reds? Here’s a little quiz for you - who can identify all the plants? I

I’ll leave you for this month with some other quirky gardening ideas. It’s great to be creative in your garden - especially at the moment. Look at your garden in a whole new way? Don’t be frightened of making changes; and most of all, have fun!

How about an upholstered chair

Training your plants, how about creating a screen of old bike wheels!

Finally, floral arrangements - a subject close to my heart!

Until next time, let’s raise a glass together and toast the return of gardentimes